NEW DELHI: Sirsa MP Kumari Selja raised concerns about the rising number of cancer cases in Haryana during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, attributing the alarming trend to pollution in the Ghaggar River.
Responding to Selja's query in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav said that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has cited a study published in the Indian Academy of Sciences on Human Health Risk Assessment. The study revealed that people living near river drains are at a high risk of developing cancer due to hazardous levels of pollutants.
“The hazard quotients were observed above the threshold limit, posing significant non-carcinogenic risks,” Jadhav noted in a written reply.
The minister further revealed that lead, iron, and aluminium levels in the river exceeded the permissible limits set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Additionally, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board has found the water of the Ghaggar River unfit for drinking.
Selja also questioned the government on the number of cancer patients in Haryana, the availability of specialised cancer wards in districts, and the extent to which polluted water from the Ghaggar River contributes to the spread of cancer.
Jadhav informed the House that the CPCB, in coordination with State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCCs), has established a Water Quality Monitoring Network under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP). The Ghaggar River is monitored at 18 locations in Punjab and nine locations in Haryana.
“Analysis of water quality monitoring results for 2023 shows non-compliance with the notified primary water quality criteria for outdoor bathing at all monitored locations in Punjab and Haryana,” Jadhav said.
Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the National River Conservation Plan, a sewage treatment capacity of 15 million litres per day (MLD) has been created in various towns in Punjab to conserve the Ghaggar River.
The Punjab Pollution Control Board has installed 28 sewage treatment plants (STPs) with a total capacity of 291.7 MLD in the river’s catchment area. Meanwhile, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board has created a sewage treatment capacity of 588 MLD under the Ghaggar Action Plan.
Selja also pressed the government on whether there were plans to clean the river and provide special assistance to cancer patients from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
In response, Jadhav stated that Haryana reported 1,486 cancer cases in 2019, 1,536 in 2020, 1,580 in 2021, 1,630 in 2022, and 1,678 in 2023 under the National Cancer Registry Programme of the ICMR.
Regarding assistance for cancer patients, Jadhav said, “The treatment of cancer is either free or subsidised in government institutions. Further, financial assistance is provided to poor patients under the Health Minister's Cancer Patient Fund component of the Umbrella Scheme of the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN).”
He also noted that the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) provides health insurance coverage of ₹5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation. “Since its inception, treatment for cancer diseases has been included in the benefit package. All modes of treatment — Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology, and Radiation Oncology — are covered under the scheme,” he added.
In a press statement, Selja highlighted the urgency of addressing the issue. “The river's water has become so polluted that it is neither fit for drinking nor bathing. Polluted water is contributing to cancer, with the number of cancer patients increasing every year,” she said.
“However, there are no adequate treatment facilities for these patients, forcing them to travel to Delhi, Chandigarh, or other states for treatment,” she added.